PM Stephen Harper’s Speech at the Knesset

Canada supports Israel fundamentally because it is right to do so.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper delivered the following remarks in an address to the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament, in Jerusalem on Monday, January 20, 2014:

“Thank you very much.

“Thank you Mr. Speaker, Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition, Chief Justice, Ministers and Members of the Knesset, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.

“Shalom.

“And thank you for inviting me to visit this remarkable country, and especially for the opportunity to address the Knesset.

“It truly is a great honour.

“And I also thank you for the honour of the key to the Knesset.

“So now I feel I can come and go whenever I choose.

“And if I may, Mr. Speaker, on behalf of my wife Laureen and the entire Canadian delegation, let me just begin by thanking the Government and people of Israel for the warmth of your hospitality.

“You have made us feel extremely welcome.

“You have made us feel immediately at home.

“Ladies and gentlemen, Canada and Israel are the greatest of friends, and the most natural of allies.

“And, with your indulgence, I’d like to offer a reflection upon what makes the relationship between Canada and Israel special and important.

“Because the relationship between us is very strong.

“This friendship between us is rooted in history, nourished by shared values, and it is intentionally reinforced at the highest levels of commerce and government as an outward expression of strongly held inner convictions.

“There has, for example, been a free trade agreement in place between Canada and Israel for many, many years, an agreement that has already proved its worth.

“The elimination of tariffs on industrial products, and some foodstuffs, has led to a doubling in the value of trade between our countries.

“But this only scratches the surface of the economic potential of this relationship and I look forward to soon deepening and broadening our mutual trade and investment goals.

“For example, during Canada’s mission to Afghanistan, the use of Israeli-built reconnaissance equipment saved the lives of many Canadian soldiers.

“All such connections, and I can mention many more – science and technology – all built strong bridges between us.

“However, to truly understand the special relationship between Israel and Canada, one must look beyond trade and institutions, to the personal ties of friendship and kinship.

“Jews have been present in Canada for more than 250 years.

“In generation after generation, by hard work and perseverance, Jewish immigrants, often starting with nothing, have greatly prospered.

“Today, there are nearly 350,000 Canadians who share with you their heritage and their faith.

“They are proud Canadians.

“But having met literally thousands of members of this community, I can tell you this:

“They are also immensely proud of what the people of Israel have accomplished here.

“Of your courage in war, of your generosity in peace, and of the bloom that the desert has yielded under your stewardship.

“Laureen and I share that pride.

“We share that pride and the understanding that what has been achieved here has occurred in the shadow of the horrors of the Holocaust.

“The understanding that it is right to support Israel, because after generations of persecution, the Jewish people deserve their own homeland and deserve to live safely and peacefully in that homeland.

“Let me repeat that: Canada supports Israel fundamentally because it is right to do so.

“This by the way is a very Canadian trait, to do something for no reason other than it is right, even when no immediate reward for, or threat to, ourselves is evident.

“On many occasions, Canadians have gone even so far as to bleed and die to defend the freedoms of others in far-off lands.

“To be clear, we have also periodically made terrible mistakes.

“As in the refusal of our Government in the 1930s to ease the plight of Jewish refugees.

“But, as a country, at the great turning points of history, Canada has consistently chosen often to our great cost, to stand with others who oppose injustice and to confront the dark forces of the world.

“It is, thus, a Canadian tradition to stand for what is principled and just, regardless of whether it is convenient or popular.

“But, I would argue, and as you know Prime Minister I have argued, that support today for the Jewish State of Israel is more than a moral imperative.

“It is also a matter of strategic importance, also a matter of our own, long-term interests.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I said a moment ago that the special friendship between Canada and Israel is rooted in shared values.

“Indeed, Israel is the only country in the Middle East which has long anchored itself in the ideals of freedom, democracy and the rule of law.

“And these are not mere notions.

“They are the things that over time and against all odds, have proven to be over and over again the only ground in which human rights, political stability, and economic prosperity, may flourish.

“These values are not proprietary.

“They do not belong to one people or one nation.

“Nor are they a finite resource.

“On the contrary, the wider they are spread, the stronger they grow.

“Likewise, when they are threatened anywhere, they are threatened everywhere.

“And who threatens them, or more precisely, what today threatens the societies that embrace such values and the progress they nurture?

“Those who scorn modernity, those who loathe the liberty of others, and those who hold the differences of peoples and cultures and religions in contempt.

“Those who, often begin by hating the Jews.

“But, history shows us, end up hating anyone who is not like them.

“Those forces, which have threatened the State of Israel every single day of its existence, and which, as 9-11 graphically showed us today, threaten all of us.

“And so, we either stand up for our values and our interests here in Israel, stand up for the existence of a free, democratic and distinctively Jewish state, or the retreat of our values and our interests in the world will begin.

“Now ladies and gentlemen, just as we refuse to retreat from our values, so we must also uphold the duty to advance them.

“And our commitment as Canadians to what is right, fair and just is a universal one.

“It applies no less to the Palestinian people than it does to the people of Israel.

“Just as we unequivocally support Israel’s right of self-defence, so too Canada has long supported a just and secure future for the Palestinian people.

“And, I believe we share with Israel a sincere hope that the Palestinian people and their leaders will choose a viable, democratic Palestinian state, committed to living peacefully alongside the Jewish State of Israel.

“As you, Prime Minister, have said, when Palestinians make peace with Israel, Israel will not be the last country to welcome a Palestinian state as a new member of the United Nations, it will be the first.

“Sadly, we have yet to reach that point.

“But, when that day comes, and come it must, I can tell you that Israel may be the first to welcome a sovereign Palestinian state, but Canada will be right behind you.

“Now ladies and gentlemen even firm support doesn’t mean that allies and friends will agree on all issues all of the time.

“As you and I know Prime Minister, no state is beyond legitimate questioning or criticism.

“Indeed, Israel as a democratic state makes such criticism a part of your national life.

“But our support does mean at least three things.

“First, Canada finds it deplorable that some in the international community still question the legitimacy of the existence of the State of Israel.

“Our view that Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state is absolute and non-negotiable.

“Second, Canada believes that Israel should be able to exercise its full rights as a UN member-state and to enjoy the full measure of its sovereignty.

“For this reason, Canada has spoken on numerous occasions in support of Israel’s engagement and equal treatment in multilateral fora.

“And in this regard, I should mention that we welcome Israel’s induction this month into the western, democratic group of states at the United Nations.

“Third, we refuse to single out Israel for criticism on the international stage.

“Now friends I understand that in the world of diplomacy, with one, solitary, Jewish state and scores of others, it is all too easy “to go along to get along” and single out Israel.

“But such “going along to get along,” is not a balanced approach, nor a sophisticated one.

“It is just, quite simply, weak and wrong.

“Unfortunately, ladies and gentlemen, we live in a world where that kind of moral relativism today runs rampant.

“And in the garden of such moral relativism, the seeds of a much more sinister notion can be easily planted.

“And so we have witnessed in recent years, the mutation of the old disease of anti-Semitism and the emergence of a new strain.

“We all know about the old anti-Semitism.

“It was crude and ignorant, and it led to the horrors of the death camps.

“Of course, in many dark corners, it is still with us.

“But, in much of the western world, the old hatred has been translated into more sophisticated language for use in polite society.

“People who would never say they hate and blame the Jews for their own failings or the problems of the world, instead declare their hatred of Israel and blame the only Jewish state for the problems of the Middle East.

“As once Jewish businesses were boycotted, some civil-society leaders today call for a boycott of Israel.

“On some campuses, intellectualized arguments against Israeli policies thinly mask underlying realities, such as the shunning of Israeli academics and the harassment of Jewish students.

“A state, based on freedom, democracy and the rule of law, founded so that Jews can flourish as Jews and seek shelter from the shadow of the worst racist experiment in history.

“That is condemned, and it is condemned in the masked language of anti-racism.

“Friends, that is nothing short of sickening.

“But, this is the face of the new anti-Semitism.

“It targets the Jewish people by targeting Israel and attempts to make the old bigotry acceptable to a new generation.

“Now of course friends, criticism of Israeli government policy is not in and of itself necessarily anti-Semitic.

“But what else can we call criticism that selectively condemns only the Jewish state and effectively denies its right to exist, to defend itself while systematically ignoring or excusing the violence and oppression all around it?

“What else can we call it when Israel is routinely singled out, targeted at the United Nations, and when Israel remains the only country to be the subject of a permanent agenda item at the regular sessions of its Human Rights Council?

“Ladies and gentlemen, any assessment, any judgment of Israel’s actions must start with this understanding:

“In the 65 years that modern Israel has been a nation, Israelis have endured attacks and slanders beyond counting and have never known a day of true peace.

“And we understand, we Canadians understand that Israelis live with this impossible calculus:

“If you act to defend yourselves, you will suffer widespread condemnation over and over again.

“But should you fail to act, you alone will suffer the consequence of your inaction and that consequence will be final.

“It will be your destruction.

“The truth that Canada understands is that many of the hostile forces Israel faces are faced by all western nations.

“Israel faces them for many of the same reasons we face them.

“You just happen to be a lot closer to them.

“Of course, no nation is perfect.

“But neither Israel’s existence nor its policies are responsible for the instability in the Middle East today.

“One must look beyond Israel’s borders to find the causes of the relentless oppression, poverty and violence in much of the region, of the heartbreaking suffering of Syrian refugees, of the sectarian violence and the fears of religious minorities, especially Christians, and of the current domestic turmoil in so many states.

“So what are we to do?

“Most importantly, we must deal with the world as we find it.

“The threats in this region are real, deeply rooted and deadly, and the forces of progress often anaemically weak.

“For too many nations, it is still easier to scapegoat Israel than to emulate your success.

“It is easier for them to foster resentment and hatred of Israel’s democracy than it is to provide the same rights and freedoms to their own people.

“I believe that a Palestinian state will come, and one thing that will make it come is when the regimes that bankroll terrorism realize that the path to peace is accommodation, not violence.

“Which brings me to the Government of Iran.

“Late last year, the world announced a new approach to diplomacy with the government in Tehran.

“Canada has long held the view that every diplomatic measure should be taken to ensure that regime never obtains a nuclear weapon.

“We therefore appreciate the earnest efforts of the five permanent members of the Security Council and Germany.

“Canada will evaluate the success of this approach not on the merit of its words, but on the implementation and verification of its promised actions.

“We truly hope that it is possible to walk the Iranian Government back from taking the irreversible step of manufacturing nuclear weapons.

“But, for now, Canada’s own sanctions will remain fully in place.

“And should our hopes not be realized, should the present agreement prove ephemeral, Canada will be a strong voice in the world for renewed sanctions.

“Ladies and gentlemen, let me conclude with this thought.

“I believe the story of Israel is a great example to the world.

“It is a story, essentially, of a people whose response to suffering has been to move beyond resentment and build a most extraordinary society, a vibrant democracy, a freedom-loving country with an independent and rights-affirming judiciary, an innovative, world-leading “start-up” nation.

“You have taken the collective memory of death and persecution to build an optimistic, forward-looking society.

“One that so values life you will sometimes release a thousand criminals and terrorists to save one of your own.

“In the democratic family of nations, Israel represents values which our Government takes as articles of faith and principles to drive our own national life.

“And therefore, through fire and water, Canada will stand with you.

“Thank you, friends.

“I know I should quit right there.

“You’ve been very generous with your time and attention.

“Laureen and I, and I know the entire delegation, thank you for your tremendous hospitality.

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Visitor Comments: 29

(26)
Anonymous,
January 25, 2014 1:35 AM

Yes but why is he shutting down our government science libraries? :-(

Asa Canadian having watched our prime minister's government in action I am, I am sorry very dubious about whether he meant anything of what he said here. How can he in good conscience say he supports Israel when he is against science and education and only for commerce? http://uniter.ca/view/scientists-protest-funding-cuts-to-experimental-lakes-areaThe nation of Israel and Judaism value education and science yet this man who claims to support the same values as Israel shutters our government science libraries, destroying the information base that it took our country years and our taxpayers decades to build. We Canadians used this science to make innovations that helped the world, as Israel does. This was marvellous. But he is ruining us. Please, people at Aish and with the Knesset and others in Israel, speak with him and make him understand shutting down libraries and proroguing our government whenever there is a bill he wants to shut down is undemocratic and medieval, not future-minded, which is what he attempts to paint himself as. I have prayed for him to stop his foolish plan of shutting down our government science libraries and I hope someone hears and does something. Prime Minister Harper is not in the regular habit of listening to Canadians and certainly not the press. Please send PM Harper letters urging him to turn back form this terrible mistake of destroying Canada's learning. :-( And may God continue to bless Israel. http://thetyee.ca/News/2013/12/30/Harper-Library-Closures/

(25)
Sandler,
January 23, 2014 1:58 AM

Bravo Mr Prime Minister. You are a Mensch which is the highest praise a Jew can give. RM Sandler

(24)
Cheryl Semrau,
January 23, 2014 12:20 AM

Visit

I am very proud of my Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

(23)
Mildred,
January 23, 2014 12:10 AM

WTG Prime Minister Harper

Thank you for standing up for your convictions, sir. We are proud to have you as our leader in Canada. God bless you and God bless Israel.

(22)
Rabbi Martin William Shorr,
January 22, 2014 10:41 PM

What is right IS what is best:

I am immensely pleased by the observations of PM Harper during his visit to Israel. I don't believe he necessarily needed the visit to enhance the Canadian philosophical outlook or belief about Israel or Judaism. He is obviously a man of strong and upright values. Still, it is refreshing to see the spiritual essence of the Holy Land continuously overtake people in such powerful positions in the world! It truly defines the difference between the Western and Eastern outlooks. And separates the G-d fearing from those who have no fear of G-d, and no belief of Israel's holiness and wish for its destruction. May G-d continually bless Canada with prosperity due to PM Harper's wonderful and meritorious leadership.

(21)
Kenan Moss,
January 22, 2014 8:02 PM

Thank God for Canada and its people.

My great-Grandmother taught me that there was something called decency: it meant doing the right thing especially when it was very hard to do so. Obviously you know this word and have got what it takes to live by it.

(20)
Sheila,
January 22, 2014 4:20 PM

Steven Harper: A Mam with Gallant Courage and Integrity !!!

Steven Harper: A Mam with gallant courage and integrity !!! May you multiply !!!

(19)
jonatan,
January 22, 2014 3:56 PM

genuine Ha' yedid leader from great nation

Harper speech reflect 100% of He's country act. a pure truly allies in fact that only Israel got now a day, also showing how jerk is US which always be claim as long standing allies but in the past decade oppose what meaning is truly friend is as fact of answers we've got. for their foreign policy treat Israel

(18)
Avigail,
January 22, 2014 3:09 AM

Harper is polar opposite of Obama

time to move to Canada? What about a trade agreement between the US and Canada: let's swap leaders, we get Harper, and you Canadians get Obama

Meir Stone,
January 22, 2014 9:30 AM

let's be fair

Trading Obama for Harper is not a even trade by Jewish Law be fair we should give them Obama ,Bidden ,Reid and Kerry ....

anonymous,
January 22, 2014 10:06 AM

haha :D

Well that would be a good swap for Americans, but not for Canadians. I wouldn't wish Obama's policies on any country. We should learn something from our wise Canadian neighbors.

Paul Lagno,
January 22, 2014 4:19 PM

Bravo! Harper is a Hero

What a great leader - you will be blessed my dear Mr. Harper for your stand for God's people and the truth!

(17)
Bebe,
January 22, 2014 2:14 AM

Harper's Our Hero

Finally a leader who is smart and courageous! If only there were more like him.

(16)
Margarita,
January 22, 2014 1:34 AM

Good and very timely speech

the speech is good and very timely. it is important to read and understand what is said, so the depth of the political game is obvious to us. on the personal level, Canadian Prime Minister Mister Stephen Harper is someone i appreciate for he is saying things clearly and makes no secrets of it.

(15)
Eugene Levich,
January 22, 2014 1:00 AM

Incredibly noble,

When doubting in Man suddenly you come across Of individuals like PM Harper. They are not many, but they are decisive in the long run. They are like polar lights shining through the dark of blackest night.

(14)
Lynne,
January 22, 2014 12:57 AM

to thank Stephen Harper

You can contact Stephen Harper atOffice of the Prime Minister80 Wellington StreetOttawa, ON K1A 0A2

Fax: 613-941-6900

or use the email form at http://www.pm.gc.ca/eng/contactpm

(13)
Carlos Sorto,
January 22, 2014 12:39 AM

Proud of my Nation

Wish all leaders be like Him , great to be a Canadian wonderful speech

(12)
Ernest,
January 21, 2014 11:58 PM

Bravo!!!!

I'm not a Canadian citizen I'm a u.s citizen and I must say the speech was awesome and extremely inspiring . I'm following his speeches for a while and he's a person with strong ethics I wish there would be more of such prime ministers in the world. And the fact that he proudly announced beforehand that he would be speaking in the "Knesset" (Israeli Parliament). This was in contrast to other world leaders who, for various political alibis, declined entirely. Thumbs up to you Mr . Stephen Harper Canadian Prime Minister G-D bless you and your family and all Israel lovers.

(11)
Danuta Glendenning,
January 21, 2014 11:31 PM

Harper's speech at Knesset.

I've been very impressed with and grateful for such an astute understanding of the Jewish nation of Israel. This can be truly considered bravery in the light of Islamic terrorists just waiting to pounce on what they call adversaries. Canada and Australia are the only nations which can now be considered friends of Israel. Israel is the Western nations only bulwark against the tide of Islamic infiltration with grows aided and abetted by media and academia and governments alike. So, thank you Mr. Harper, thank you Canada.

(10)
Miriam,
January 21, 2014 10:52 PM

G-d bless you Prime Minister Harper and wife

May G-d bless you with happiness, health, good fortune and continued success and wisdom in leading your people. You are truly a great man, a great couple. G-d bless you.

(9)
Earl Gardner,
January 21, 2014 10:29 PM

Canadian support is right

As a former officer in the Canadian Forces and a proud Jew, I can tell you the support for Israel runs strong from the Military, who admire Israel's Military Prowess.

(8)
elisheva,
January 21, 2014 8:46 PM

WOW!

We need more world leaders like him!May Hashem bless him and Canada for being one of the few brave countries to stand up for truth.

(7)
Janice,
January 21, 2014 8:12 PM

From One Canadian

As a Canadian,I am very very glad PM Harper has stood up and said to the World, Canada supports Israel. I am an Evangelical Christian, who firmly believes that the Old and New Testaments say, Bless Israel, and you will be blessed. I also say, We pray for the Peace of Jerusalem too. We hope for the Messiah soon.

(6)
Shelly,
January 21, 2014 7:23 PM

tears in my eyes

I read the Prime Minister's remarks with tears in my eyes and gratitude in my heart. There are few today or any day who stand up and defend Israel and PM Harper is a man of honor, integrity and high moral character.

(5)
Heather Hyatt,
January 21, 2014 6:32 PM

Thankful for a leader representing decency

The country of Canada stands with Israel. I am thankful we have a leader who represents our decency.Peace be upon Israel and Canada.

(4)
Raymond Bastarache,
January 21, 2014 6:05 PM

Our Prime Minister's Speech

Shalom, Shalom.... to our Prime Minster the Honourable Mr. Steven Harper, for an uplifting speech,, well done! We, as Canadians are behind you 100%. We will prosper, on behalf of G-d's people, Israel. A promise made to Father Abraham by G-d himself (G-d cannot lie) is this: " I will Bless them that Bless you and Curse them that Curse you") We Canadians, are Bless... cause we support ISRAEL....Fully. Yes, I also say: " Shalom."

(3)
Rev. George Schmidt,
January 21, 2014 6:03 PM

PM Harper a great statesman

I am so proud to be a Canadian and thankful for a principled leader with deep convictions, not afraid to speak truth.

(2)
Shelley from Montreal, Canada,
January 21, 2014 5:52 PM

Bravo Prime Minister Harper

I have never felt so proud as a Canadian Jew than when I heard Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper's speech to the Israeli Knesset. We need more like him. Bravo!

(1)
Joseph Apicella,
January 21, 2014 4:22 PM

Canada history as a place of refuge

After the Dred Scot decision the only free soil for slaves was Canada and many sought refuge there. Also, many Americans sought refuge from forced military service in Canada during the Vietnam war. Canadians are a warm and wonderful place.

I've been striving to get more into spirituality. But it seems that every time I make some progress, I find myself slipping right back to where I started. I'm getting discouraged and feel like a failure. Can you help?

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

Spiritual slumps are a natural part of spiritual growth. There is a cycle that people go through when at times they feel closer to God and at times more distant. In the words of the Kabbalists, it is "two steps forward and one step back." So although you feel you are slipping, know that this is a natural process. The main thing is to look at your overall progress (over months or years) and be able to see how far you've come!

This is actually God's ingenious way of motivating us further. The sages compare this to teaching a baby how to walk. When the parent is holding on, the baby shrieks with delight and is under the illusion that he knows how to walk. Yet suddenly, when the parent lets go, the child panics, wobbles and may even fall.

At such times when we feel spiritually "down," that is often because God is letting go, giving us the great gift of independence. In some ways, these are the times when we can actually grow the most. For if we can move ourselves just a little bit forward, we truly acquire a level of sanctity that is ours forever.

Here is a practical tool to help pull you out of the doldrums. The Sefer HaChinuch speaks about a great principle in spiritual growth: "The external awakens the internal." This means that although we may not experience immediate feelings of closeness to God, eventually, by continuing to conduct ourselves in such a manner, this physical behavior will have an impact on our spiritual selves and will help us succeed. (A similar idea is discussed by psychologists who say: "Smile and you will feel happy.")

That is the power of Torah commandments. Even if we may not feel like giving charity or praying at this particular moment, by having a "mitzvah" obligation to do so, we are in a framework to become inspired. At that point we can infuse that act of charity or prayer with all the meaning and lift it can provide. But if we'd wait until being inspired, we might be waiting a very long time.

May the Almighty bless you with the clarity to see your progress, and may you do so with joy.

In 1940, a boatload 1,600 Jewish immigrants fleeing Hitler's ovens was denied entry into the port of Haifa; the British deported them to the island of Mauritius. At the time, the British had acceded to Arab demands and restricted Jewish immigration into Palestine. The urgent plight of European Jewry generated an "illegal" immigration movement, but the British were vigilant in denying entry. Some ships, such as the Struma, sunk and their hundreds of passengers killed.

If you seize too much, you are left with nothing. If you take less, you may retain it (Rosh Hashanah 4b).

Sometimes our appetites are insatiable; more accurately, we act as though they were insatiable. The Midrash states that a person may never be satisfied. "If he has one hundred, he wants two hundred. If he gets two hundred, he wants four hundred" (Koheles Rabbah 1:34). How often have we seen people whose insatiable desire for material wealth resulted in their losing everything, much like the gambler whose constant urge to win results in total loss.

People's bodies are finite, and their actual needs are limited. The endless pursuit for more wealth than they can use is nothing more than an elusive belief that they can live forever (Psalms 49:10).

The one part of us which is indeed infinite is our neshamah (soul), which, being of Divine origin, can crave and achieve infinity and eternity, and such craving is characteristic of spiritual growth.

How strange that we tend to give the body much more than it can possibly handle, and the neshamah so much less than it needs!